If you search online for an artist — a painter, photographer, or songwriter — there is a good chance you’ll find curated pages that showcase their work and tell their creator story. In creative fields, curating a digital portfolio is a calling card. But in other fields, it can be an afterthought, if it’s even thought of at all. Many in management do not think enough about how others discover them in the digital space — or, as we call it, their digital professional presence (DPP).
Research: Can a More Detailed LinkedIn Profile Boost Your Salary?
According to a study of 1,741 executives, showcasing merit can move the needle when it comes to compensation.
October 31, 2023
David Muir/Getty Images
Summary.
Our digital presence impacts how others perceive us. A simple résumé and a list of references no longer captures the essence of our professional capabilities. In this article, the authors explain how the intentional management of our online personas can have a positive and measurable connection to pay. To measure the effects of digital presence on compensation, they analyzed a sample of 1,741 executives who changed jobs between 2004 and 2011. Their investigation focused on whether their digital professional presence (DPP), as measured by the amount of content displayed in their personal LinkedIn profiles, correlated with differences in compensation. They found that a more enhanced DPP is positively linked to compensation — but that the strength of connection varies depending on certain factors: seniority level, race, gender, and geography.